It is the pleasure of the staff of It is W W ATERMARK A P UBLISHING and T T E HE W EDDING C AFÉ to announce the release of to anno by Tanna Dang Debuting at The Hawai The H ‘ i Bridal Expo January 16-18, 2009 nu Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall l Bla Honolulu, Hawai ‘ i Appearing in bookstores nationwide, immediately following ng in bookstores nation For more information, contact: Dawn Sakamoto, Director of Sales & Marketing awn Watermark Publishing [email protected] | 808-534-7170 @ www.bookshawaii.net
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It is the pleasure of the staff ofIt is
WWATERMARKA PUBLISHING
andTT EHE WEDDING CAFÉ
to announce the release ofto anno
by Tanna Dang
Debuting at The HawaiThe H ‘i Bridal ExpoJanuary 16-18, 2009nu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMedia Contact: Dawn Sakamoto, (808) 534-7170 or [email protected]
Hawai‘i Wedding Guru Releases New Book for Brides
Getting married in Hawai‘i is a special experience, but even in paradise, planning a wedding has its challenges! In Wedding Belles: Ideas & Inspiration from Island Brides, local wedding guru Tanna Dang, guides soon-to-be brides on a smooth trip down the aisle.
Dang has rounded up more than 70 real-life recent brides to spill the beans on topics such as how to include families in the planning process, local traditions, special wedding-day details, and horror stories and their (eventually) happy endings.
Wedding Belles isn’t the typical “how-to” wedding book. Although packed with useful sidebars filled with personal tips and advice from Dang—after years as a wedding professional, she’s amassed a staggering amount of nuptial knowledge—the book’s main focus is on the stories and photos the brides share. “There are lots of books out there that list vendors or tell you how to plan your wedding, but they tend to show only a few personal examples.” Dang says. “I thought having real, local brides share, in their own words, what they learned through the wedding planning process would be a great way for new brides to find amazing ideas and advice they can trust.”
Author Tanna Dang and her husband, Bryson, are the owners of The Wedding Café at Ward Warehouse, a resource center for brides. Bryson thinks the business is a perfect fit for the self-confessed wedding addict: “Tanna was always talking about weddings—our wedding, our friend’s wedding, her cousin’s wedding, everything was weddings!” At the Café, it’s Dang’s job to talk nothing but weddings. She has been a trusted sounding board for hundreds of Hawai‘i’s brides. Prior to taking over The Wedding Café in January 2005—a mere month after her own wedding—Dang worked for Hawai‘i Bride & Groom magazine. She is a graduate of Punahou School and the University of Hawai‘i, with a degree in journalism and communications.
Wedding Belles: Ideas & Inspiration from Island Brides (ISBN 978-09815086-6-5) will be available in January 2009 priced at $22.95 at The Wedding Café, bookstores and other retail outlets, from online booksellers, or direct from the publisher at www.bookshawaii.net.
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CHEROKEE & CHAD STUCKEY
“For our first date, Chad took me to P.F. Chang’s. While some may see it as cheesy, we returned to P.F. Chang’s on the first of every month to celebrate our ‘anniversary.’ April 1, 2004 (yes, April Fools’ Day) was no exception— we enjoyed a great dinner. Chad had anticipated that after the meal I would excuse myself to freshen up in the rest-room. During that time, he planned to swap out the restaurant’s fortune cookies with his handmade cookies with proposal fortunes in them. I must have been suspicious because I never left the table! So, instead, he asked me to close my eyes. When I opened them, there were three fortune cookies on the table. He asked me to open them one at a time and read them aloud. The first one read, Oops, wrong cookie. The next one advised, Try the next cookie. And the last one asked, Will you marry me? Just say YES! As I read the last one, he held out my beautiful ring and asked me to be his wife! I said, YES!”
Popping the Question
Accomplices
If you plan to proposeat a restaurant, call the
manager in advance to advise him/her of your plans. You want everything to be topnotch and totally smooth,and hey, they may even
seat you at the best tablein the house! Everyone
loves a proposal, so makesure it’s as sweet as it can be with the help of your favorite restaurant friends!
A month before the wedding, Bryson and I took our pre-bridal photos downtown. The day started off dark and gloomy, but with the biggest fake smile Bryson could muster, he said to me, “Looks like a gorgeous day!” I winced while I had my hair and makeup done, slipped on my gown and picked up bouquet #1. Still wearing that über smile, he said, “Ready? It’s going to be a great day!” He put out his hand and pulled me out the door.
And guess what we saw … sunshine! And a lot of it! Our photographer shot us on nearly every downtown street, posing by buildings, swirling by coffee shops and criss-crossing King Street. The shoot was so much fun, I knew the photos were going to be terrific.
As we were wrapping up the final shot, it started to rain … gentle raindrops at first, and then it got heavier and heavier. Our photographer shoved a colorful umbrella in Bryson’s hand and told us to walk toward her down the rainy street. WHAT?! Well, we did as we were told, huddling together under the umbrella. Bryson and I were cracking up because we were squished together, stepping on each others toes and getting pelted by raindrops. But, we were having a blast.
And out of all the shots we took that day, that “running in the rain” shot became our favorite photo.
~ Tanna Dang, Wedding Belles, Chapter Two
Picture-Perfect Moments
Photos & VideoWhile we’re living in the age of digital cameras and learning about Photoshop in school, I always recommend hiring a
professional photographer for your wedding day. True story: A bride cut costs and asked her friend’s brother
(who happened to have a great-looking digital camera!) to take her wedding photos. Lo and behold, the memory cards crashed and she had ZERO
wedding photos. Boo! Hire a pro—it’ll save you so much anxiety and bring you even more happiness in the long run!
MJ & MIKE POTHIER“I really believe music sets the tone for an event. Upbeat music makes people happy while slow songs always make people cry, especially at weddings! So Mikey and I really took a lot of time selecting the perfect music for our ceremony processional. Mike is goofy, fun and spon-taneous, which are the reasons my nickname for him is ‘The Monkey.’ So Mikey, the monkey, wanted to walk down the aisle to Brass Monkey. Yes, the song originally performed by the Beastie Boys and remade by Richard Cheese…HILARIOUS! Everyone was cracking up. Our bridal party walked down to the slack key version of Jack Johnson’s Better Together, which was so beautiful, yet fresh. I walked down to You’re So Cool from one of our favorite movies, the cult classic True Romance. I loved how everyone’s processional songs fit their personalities. We threw out the totally expected wedding music and went for songs that we jived with. Weddings are supposed to reflect the couple, and ours sure did!”
Breaking Tradition
MusicWhen selecting your
processional and recessional songs, remember their
differences. Processional songs announce your arrival, the bride,
the queen, the STAR OF THE SHOW! Make your walk count. Go slow and enjoy every stately second. This is your red carpet moment. Recessionals are often upbeat, livelyand happy since you and your beau have just kissed and declared your love
for eternity. Go for a faster song to skip down the aisle to!
JENN & JOHN WELLS
“When my cousin Julie got married 14 years ago, she presented her wedding bouquet to me since we were so close. Through all these years, without her knowing it, I kept the ribbons and jeweled spray inserts that decorated her bouquet. I asked my floral designer to incorporate the spray into my own bouquet. As you probably guessed, it brought tears to her eyes when I showed hermy bouquet the day of the wedding.”
For the Love of Family!
Flowers
Local florists are eager tofulfill your every dreamand desire. Communicateopenly about what yourexpectations and don’t beafraid to ask for specialtouches to personalizeyour wedding. Whetheryou want an arch madeof white baby’s breath orsun-kissed oranges at thebase of your centerpieces,start working with yourflorist early. (I alwaysrecommend booking aflorist ASAP!) Bring your
color scheme, propsand samples to yourconsultation to help
describe your vision. Andhey, if you have no clue,let your florist’s creative
juices flow!
PAM & MATT INAKE
“I was a typical DIY (do-it-yourself) bride who had every detail mapped out. I spent hours making my own veil that perfectly matched my ivory-colored dress. As the wedding day approached, my mom asked me if I would wear her veil—the veil she wore on the day she married my dad—a symbol of a lasting love. After hearing what it meant to her, I was honored to wear the veil! I didn’t care that it was white or that it didn’t match the material of my dress. In my eyes, it was the perfect fit.”
How Do I Look?
The ThreadsTo veil or not to veil … that is the question! I was dead set on wearing a tiara, sans veil, at my wedding. But at my last fitting, my seamstress asked, “You’re not going to wear a veil?” I replied, “No, I think I’m just going to wear a tiara.” She repeated, “You’re not going to wear a veil?” and I swear she was shaking her head a little. “Try it on anyway,” she coaxed, already grabbing a veil from her stash hanging in the corner. “No, no thanks, I really don’t want to … oh my gosh!” My godsent seamstress placed the veil on my head,
draped the tulle over my shoulders and stepped back. Now I know why all of my bride friends all wore veils. It screams, “I’m the bride!” I was hooked. Ring me up for the veil, too, please!
I sported a pretty, fingertip-length veil, meaning the veil literally brushed my fingertips.Not too long and not too short!
Other popular styles include: Flyaway veil: short and sassy, ends at the tip of your shoulders
Sweep veil: longer in length, just hits the ground Chapel: typically nine romantic feet long from your head to the train
Cathedral: Super long veil, measuring 12 feet from your head to the end of the train
Flyaway veil: Sweep veil:
Chapel: Cathedral:
Bloopers & Big Oops Moments
Brides, if there is anything I’ve learned from my own wedding and working with countless others, it’s that no matter how much you want to plan, life happens! The minor-oops-seems-huger-than-life incidents that occur on your wedding day are destined to happen, and actually make for great stories after all is said and done! Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of temper tantrums, crying fits and sleepless nights over wedding nightmares.
True story: After hours of hair and makeup, carefully slipping on my wedding gown and fasten-ing my strappy sandals without smudging my pedi-cured toes, I was ready for photos. “OK, first shot,” said our photographer, “Bryson, Tanna, stand chest to chest.” My coordinator handed me my colorful bouquet and put Bryson’s maile lei, entwined with red roses, around his neck. “That’s it, smile!” As soon as we took our first round of photos, my MOH
stared at my dress as if she had seen a ghost. Bryson’s face turned pale as he pulled away from me. I glanced down at my dress to see four enormous purple stains that had come from the damp, red roses on Bryson’s maile lei.
Without a second to lose, my coordinator intercepted my freak-out, “Let’s head to the golf course for more photos. Girls, grab your bouquets. Guys, grab the water. Let’s go!” My save-the-day-coordinator lifted my train, led me down the stairs and dabbed my gown feverishly with a Shout Wipe pen. And guess what? By the time I made it to the bottom stair, those purple stains were gone … bye-bye, Bridezilla.
Lesson learned? Don’t forget to bring your coping skills with you on your wedding day. You just need to step back, take a deep breath and calmly say to your MOH, coordinator or BFF (with your head tilted down, and beady-eyed glare), “Can you take care of this? Thanks!”
Seriously, though, the main thing is you’ve got the man of your dreams by your side and you’re rockin’ a big white (stain-free) dress! Game on.
~ Tanna Dang, Wedding Belles, Chapter Six
Lasting Love
Who doesn’t love getting a love note? Surprise your
honey with sweet notes on the bathroom mirror, in his
wallet or even on his favorite breakfast cereal box.Come on, remember howit felt when you got yourfirst love note in the 3rd
grade? XOXO!
MAILA & KELI‘I BANDMANN
“Keli‘i’s job on the day of the wedding was to make sure everyone in the wedding party had lunch. He personally delivered lunch to my sisters, my mom and me while I was getting my hair and makeup done in the hotel room. After we all started to eat, we noticed a handwritten note on a napkin that said, I’m so excited to be your husband today. What a way to start the day.”
What the Grooms Do
Final ThoughtsWeddings are fabulous. They rock our emotions and bring everyone we love into one big
planning frenzy—bridal showers, dress fittings, menu samplings, cake tastings and invitation writing—it’s all good. However, there will always be family drama, guest list
editing, dresses you thought you’d love but didn’t and flowers that just won’t bloom. But, my dear bride, if there’s one thing to learn, it’s to forget about the small stuff and party like there’s no tomorrow. Savor the good times and roll with the punches. Focus on the
marriage, not the wedding, and the planning will be a breeze.
KANOE & JUSTIN ABILLA“Have your wedding with no regrets and don’t be afraid to (politely) tell your parents this is your wedding. Parents love their kids so much, but sometimes they forget that they’re two adults getting ready to start a new life together. You’ll have so much fun if the wedding reflects the two of you.”
Final Thoughts
Photo Credits
Please credit photos as indicated; photo copyrights retained by the individual photographers and/or couples.
Cherokee & Chad Stuckey — photo by: Visionari Jenn & John Wells — photo by: Jayson Tanega Kanoe & Justin Abilla — photo by: Marina Miller, reheartphoto.com Maila & Keli‘i Bandmann — photo by: Reve Photography MJ & Mike Pothier — photo by: Love Story Weddings Pamela & Matt Inake — photo by: Koji, La Vie Bridal Tanna & Bryson Dang — Pre-bridal photo with umbrella; photo by: Keely Luke Photography Tanna & Bryson Dang — Hugging photo; photo by: Tamalyn Lee Photography Tanna Dang headshot — photo by: Rachel Robertson Photography
